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Frequently Asked Questions
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What can parents and teachers do to help students with brain injury succeed in school?
Students retunring to school afterBI may have trouble sustaining attention. They may require more time to think and articulate their thoughts. It’s also common for students with head injury to have trouble with short-term memory (being able to remember something from one minute to the next, like what the teacher just said). They may also have trouble with their long-term memory (being able to remember information from a while ago, like facts learned last month). Additionally, students with BI may experience difficulty with reading and writing, making judgments, planning, and understanding the order of events.
Among students with serious head injuries, almost half experience a change in personality as a result. Parents describe these changes as “like having a different child”. Sudden changes in mood, anxiety, or depression often mark the demeanor of students who have sustained a BI. Symptoms of their brain injury may include restlessness, a lack of motivation or control over their emotions. They may also have trouble relating to their peers.
When students with BI return to school, their educational and emotional needs should be integral considerations in order to effectively guide their learning. Those whose injuries were recently acquired may remember how they were before their brain injury. This can provoke social and emotional issues. If the child’s family, friends, and teachers struggle to adapt to the child’s condition, their expectations may heighten the child’s anxiety.
Life for students with brain injury has taken on new dimensions. This necessitates that educators, likewise, take on new dimensions. For both parents and teachers, it’s important to plan carefully. Parents should feel welcome inquiring about the school’s special education services. This information is available from the principal, school board, or special education teacher.
Predicting how an individual will recover from brain injury is challenging. Early and ongoing intervention has been shown to make significant gains. Intervention from a team that includes physical or occupational therapy, counseling, and special education will support student with BI through their formal education years.
For academic programs to meet their students’ specific needs, regular evaluations by school staffs or outside health care providers will indicate student progress and ways that educational programs may need to be modified.
Working together, schools and parents can develop comprehensive and individualized education programs that best address the needs of students with brain injury’.
Tips for Teachers
Find out as much as you can about your student’s injury and his or her present needs. Find out more about BI. Visit our links section at www.BIRF.info to find resources and organizations to help supplement your knowledge base.
- Give the student more time to finish schoolwork and tests.
- Give directions one step at a time. For tasks with many steps, it helps to give the student written directions.
- Show the student how to perform new tasks. Give examples to go with new ideas and concepts.
- Have consistent routines. This helps the student know what to expect. If the routine is going to change, let the student know ahead of time.
- Check to make sure that the student has actually learned the new skill. Give the student lots of opportunities to practice the new skill.
- Show the student how to use an assignment book and a daily schedule. This helps the student get organized.
- Realize that the student may get tired quickly. Let the student rest as needed.
- Reduce distractions.
- Keep in touch with the student’s parents. Share information about how the student is doing at home and at school.
- Be flexible about expectations. Be patient. Maximize the student’s chances for success.
Based of information provided by NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
Tips for Parents
- Learn about BI. The more you know, the more you can help yourself and your child.
- Work with the medical team to understand your child’s injury and treatment plan. Don’t be shy about asking questions. Tell them what you know or think. Make suggestions.
- Keep track of your child’s treatment. A 3-ring binder or a box can help you store this history. As your child recovers, you may meet with many doctors, nurses, and others. Write down what they say.
- Put any paperwork they give you in the notebook or throw it in the box. You can’t remember all this! Also, if you need to share any of this paperwork with someone else, make a copy. Don’t give away your originals. (For more ideas, as well as forms to guide you through this documentation, visit Records & Case Management in the library at www.BIRF.info).
- Talk to other parents whose child has BI. There are parent groups all over the U.S. Parents can share practical advice and emotional support.
- If your child was in school before the injury, plan for his or her return to school. Get in touch with the school. Ask the principal about special education services. Have the medical team share information with the school.
- When your child returns to school, ask the school to test your child as soon as possible to identify his or her special education needs. Meet with the school and help develop a plan for your child called an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- Keep in touch with your child’s teacher. Tell the teacher about how your child is doing at home. Ask how your child is doing in school.